Once Brothers, mainly through the use of archival footage and interviewing, is able to accurately reflect society at the time of the Yugoslavian Civil War. The director chooses to include archival footage of both the war's destruction and of the basketball games Divac and Petrovic were involved in. This tells a tale of two worlds constantly tugging on both players' minds. The footage shows the devastation and horror of the war from a historical standpoint by showing tapings of attacks, pictures of aftermath, and footage of the people involved. This shows the literal events that resulted in Croatia's modern situation: a historical standpoint. A map is also included to help the viewer follow the path of the battles practically. To reflect the feelings of society at the time the documentary uses the more personal medium of interviews. The interviews provide a reflection on the situation by people who lived through it. In a way, the documentary is archiving their thoughts and story. The interviews uncover that Petrovic's "break up" with Divac was actually due to an accidental political statement that Divac made by grabbing a Croatian flag and throwing it after Yugoslavia won the world championships. Petrovic took it as an insult to Croatia; Divac, who was Slovenian, stated that he only threw the flag because he wanted a united Yugoslavia. Through further interviews, the documentary uncovers that people in Croatia hated Divac so much that he didn't even attend Petrovic's funeral, held after he died suddenly in a car crash, because Divac was scared of the reception Croatia would give him. Later, when Divac makes his return trip to Croatia, a dialogue is captured where Divac asks a man who greets him, "Are you the only one to recognize me?" and the man responds, "No, I'm just the only one brave enough to say hello." This modern form of documentation allows for a unique portrayal of history and society. Documentaries also allow individuals to change the rhetoric to better suit their purpose.
Rhetoric that comes with the documentary allows the filmaker to elicit various emotional responses that would not be available in traditional written or visual texts. A major rhetorical device used is the presentation of sound, both in dialogue and in music. A language barrier is present due to the fact that many of the important characters only speak Russian. The documentary, having both picture and sound, allows the filmaker to play the original recording and provide English translation in the form of captions. By doing this, the film captures the original emotion of the interview and gives an understanding of the content, allowing for a more wholesome experience. Also, the addition and change of music became an effective tool to change the mood of the documentary. For example, suspense was built when sad music started before the car crash because the viewer became aware that there was going to be a disappointing twist. The music started off softly and progressed to a more aggressive and loud presence as the event neared. Music was also used as a transition, with one set of music being assigned to the basketball portion of the story and another to the war and political side. Another rhetorical device used was the juxtaposition of past and present. Due to the modern technology, filmakers are able to arrange their pieces so that comparisons could be made between two images from completely separate times. This modern technology includes the means to gather the visuals as well as the programs to combine them. This was done when places that Divac visited in his trip to Croatia were shown currently and then before the war. By comparing the images right after each other, the viewer can further understand the effects of the war and how horrible it was to the Yugoslavian society. Rhetoric has changed with the introduction of new forms of communication such as the documentary, and filmakers incorporate them to convey their message.
Documentaries serve as an entertaining medium for stories to be shared. Through 30 for 30, Once Brothers was able to inform and move an audience that can now reflect on the message. The documentary has proved to be an effective mode of communication as shown by the responses they have drawn. While Once Brothers was a chronicle of a friendship, it also presented the historical context in ways that would not have been available in the recent past.
